Permutation lock



June 17, 1941. R. K. WINNING PERMUTATION-LOCK 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 22, 1940 INVENTOR Foeaerk VV/N/w/va ATTORNEYfi June 17, 1941. w N 2,245,741

PERMUTATION LOCK Filed June 22, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR @EEZTA. VV/MWNG.

AZ/z MrMV ATTORNEY- Patented June 17, 1941 PERMUTATION LOCK Robert K. Winning, Wauwatosa, Wis., assignor to Clum Manufacturing Company,

Milwaukee,

Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Application June 22, 1940, Serial No. 341,828

12 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in permutation locks.

It is the primary object of the invention to provide a new and more satisfactory Way of dislocating the lock tumbers by means of energy stored during the opening movement of the lock and held stored until the lock is fully closed.

It is a further object of the invention to provide means for preventing tampering with the look while open.- Persons desiring unauthorized access to a locker have sometimes manipulated the bolt and tumblers of the open lock in such a way as to prevent the look from closing properly, thereby leaving it out of order and permitting unauthorized. access at a subsequent time.

More specifically, it is one of the purposes of this invention to provide, preferably through the tumbler dislocating mechanism, means for holding the bolt and also holding the tumblers in the positions fixed by the permutation mechanism until the hasp is completely closed and unauthorized access to the interior of the lock thereby prevented.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following disclosure of the invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a padlock representing one embodiment of this invention.

Fig. 2 is a view in perspective of the interior mechanism of the padlock exposed by breaking away the case and lifting the top closure plate thereof. 1

Fig. 3 is a view taken in section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 4 is a view of the locking mechanismin plane as it appears exposed by the removal of the top closure plate and first tumbler disk from the case, the parts being shown displaced from the position in which they are illustrated in Fig. I

2 by the movement of the hasp toward its full open position following registration of the tumblers.

Fig. 5 is a View similar to Fig. 4 showing the parts as they appear when the hasp is fully opened.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 4 showing the position of the parts as the hasp approaches its fully closed position from which my improved tumbler dislocating mechanism is about to restore the parts to the position shown in Fig. 2.

Like parts are identified by the same reference characters throughout the several views'.--

It will, of course, be understood that th vention herein-disclosed is applicable to"-1oc'ks M other than padlocks and a padlock is here illustrated merely as a exemplification of the invention in which its various advantages are comparatively fully displayed.

As is usual in looks of this general character, the lock has a cup-shaped case 8 shouldered at 9 to receive a closure plate Ill over which the reduced margin of the case is spun or beaded at ll. Fixed in the bottom or back of the case 8. is a mounting plate l2 upon which substantially the entire mechanism of the lock is supported and guided for movement.

Rotatable in the closure plate It is a knob 15 provided interiorly of the lock with a driving tumbler set l6. Exteriorly of the lock the knob I5 carries, in this particular device, a rotatable guide I! having suitable characters rotatable with the knob in respect of the index mark i8 and the closure disk Hi. It is, of course, immaterial whether the characters turn with the knob or are stationary in the closure disk or rim-of the case to be traversed by an index pointer connected with the knob, both constructions being well known.

The driving tumbler It has in its periphery a succession of false shallow notches 19 for the purpose of deceiving a person attempting to pick the look, andit has one deeper notch at 20 (Fig. 2) with which the lock bolt must register before the lock can be opened. The material of the primary or driving tumbler disk It is punched downwardly at 2| to provide a driving pin which coacts with a like pin 22 pressed upwardly from the face of the next successive tumbler disk 23. Through the use of the knob I5 the driving tumbler disk It may be oscillated to and fro to turn the second disk 23 through engagement of their respective pins 2! and'22, the second tumbler disk 23 being used in like manner to transmit motion through similar pins to the lowermost tumbler 'disk 25, this arrangement being also well known.

Disks 25 and 23 and intervening washers are mounted on a post 26 riveted to the mounting plate l2 and piloted at its upper end inthe bore 2'! of knob l5. The washers 28 are keyed to the post 26 to be non-rotatable notwithstanding the rotative manipulation of.theutumbler disks. A compression. spring 29 maintains the parts under pressure tending toestablish. suflicient protection between the respective, disks and their adjacent washers-:toshold i the .,-disks frictionally in any position to which they iaregadjustedpending their positive displacement from such position.

Each of the several disks 23 and,25 moremay be used if desired) is provided in its periphery with a deep notch 30 comparable to that used at 25 in the driving tumbler disk I6. When the several notches 23 and 33 of the driving and driven tumbler disks are aligned at the proper point they receive the upstanding arcuate flange 3! of a bolt 32 mounted for oscillation on a pintle rivet 33 secured in the mounting plate !2. A spring washer 34 under the head of rivet 33 tends to bind the bolt frictionally against the mounting plate to hold it in any given position of adjustment until positively displaced therefrom.

The hasp 35 is reciprocably and rotatably guided in an apertured ear 36 through which the longer leg 35! of the hasp passes. The shorter leg 352 of the hasp is notched at 31 to receive the end 38 of the flange 3! of bolt 32.

With the parts in the position shown in Fig. 2, the hasp is rigidly anchored against withdrawal from the easing into which both its long and short ends project under these circumstances. The bolt 32 is secured against oscillation by the fact that the end 39 of its upstanding flange 3| engages the unnotched peripheral portions of one or more of the tumbler disks I5, 23 and 25. Only when the tumbler disks have their notches registered in the manner indicated in Fig. 4 may the bolt 32 be oscillated sufiiciently to free the hasp.

the movement being produced by withdrawal of the hasp itself, whereby the lower shoulder of the notched portion 3! of the hasp, acting on the end 33 of flange 3! of the bolt, oscillates the bolt into the clearance provided by the notches 3!] and 23. T'nereupon the continued withdrawal of the hasp will raise it toward and beyond the position indicated in Fig. 4. r

The ear 35 upstanding from the mounting plate !2 in which the longer leg 35! of the hasp is guided, has a notch at 4!] with which the leg 4!, projecting laterally from leg 35! of the hasp, is maintained in registration so long as both legs of the hasp are engaged in the casing apertures as shown in Fig. 2. As the shorter leg 352 of the hasp leaves the casing, leg 4! passes through the notch 43 as shown in Fig. 4 and ultimately emerges beyond the exterior face of the ear 36 as shown in Fig. 5. This supports the hasp against retraction into the casing through spring pressure which would otherwise tend to retract it as will hereinafter be explained, and the hasp will remain in its exterior position if slightly rotated as shown in Fig. to force the leg 4! out of registration with the notch 40 in the ear.

When the has-p is returned toward its initial locked position it must first be rotated to bring its shorter leg 352 into alignment with the casing aperture, whereupon lug 4! will also register with the notched portion 43 of the ear in which the longer leg 35! of the hasp is slidable. The hasp may then be pressed into the casing and the arrangement is such that the cam surfaced free end 43 of its shorter leg 352 acts upon another fiange 34 of the bolt 32 to press said bolt toward its initial position. It is desirable that as soon as the hasp is substantially in the position shown in Fig. 2 the tumbler disks should automatically be displaced from the position in which their notches 23 and 35 register in the manner indicated in Fig. 4. This displacement should properly be effected sharply so that despite any carelessness on the part of the operator the aligned positions of the disks will be thoroughly disarranged to require manipulation in accordance with the combination of the look before the lock can again be opened.

upwardly on the dislocated plate.

As above indicated, the provision of novel and more effective means for disarranging the tumbler disks from the position of Fig, 5 is one of the major objectives of this invention, and the purposes thereof are achieved by the disarranging mechanism now to be described.

Standing upright from the face plate !2 is a pin 45 upon which the tumbler dis/locating plate 46 is engaged for oscillatory movement and for a limited degree of reciprocative movement. Both of these movements are controlled by the torsion spring 4! which has its intermediate portion coiled loosely about the pin 45, one end 48 raised against the interior of the case and the other end 49 pressing against a spring seat flange 56 formed Obviously the spring as shown will tend at all times to oscillate the plate counter-clockwise toward the position in which it is shown in Fig. 2, and when the plate has moved toward the position shown in Fig. 5 the pressure of the spring will also tend to reciprocate the plate to the right from the position in which it appears in Fig. 4 to the position in which it appears in Fig. 5 to the extent permitted by I the fact that the pin 45 does not extend through a round hole in the plate but through a short slot indicated in dotted lines at 5!.

The free end portion 52 of the longer leg 35! of hasp 35 is peripherally grooved out to receive removably a notched key 53 best illustrated in Fig. 2. The arm 55 upstanding from the dislocating plate 46 formed by fianging upwardly the end of said plate is, in the initial locked position of the parts, engaged by the key 53 in the manner shown in Fig. 2. When the disk tumblers have had their respective notches 20 and 30 registered by manipulation of the knob I5 to receive the flange 3! of bolt 32, the hasp 35 is withdrawn in the manner already described to oscillate the bolt, and as the hasp is withdrawn the key 53 imparts to the dislocating plate 46 a combined rotative and reciprocative movement against the torsion of spring 47. The movement would be pure oscillatory movement about the pin 45 as a center but for the fact that the inner edge of the upstanding arm 55 of such plate is in peripheral contact with the tumbler disks 23 and 25, the surfaces of which deviate from the true are which the arm 55 tends to follow. The surfaces of the disks, therefore, act like a cam to force the entire plate 46 to reciprocate transversely of the casing to the extent permitted by slot 5!. Both its oscillatory movement and its reciprocating movement are opposed by the single spring 41.

As the hasp reaches the position of Fig. 4 the arm has begun to move almost into registry with a second set of notches provided at 56 in the tumblers 23 and 25. In the continued outward movement of the hasp from the Fig. 4 position to the Fig. 5 position thereof, the arm 55 will be brough into full registration with the notches 56, whereupon the pressure of spring 4'! has, in Fig. 5, reciprocated the plate 46 slightly to the right.

At the same time a square notch 51 in plate 46 has received the square corner 58 of bolt 32 whereby these parts are interlocked and the bolt is prevented from oscillation from its full open position so long as the plate 46 remains in the position in which it is held when the hasp is fully open and leg 4! is on the upper surface of ear 36.

As soon as the hasp 35 is restored to a position for re-entrance into the casing, lug 4! will again register with notch 40 as previously described, and the torsion of spring 41, exerted through plate 46 and arm 55 on the key 53 of the hasp, will force the hasp slightly downwardly until arm 55 is no longer supported by the key 53 on the hasp but by the shoulder at the lower ends of the shallow notches 56 in the tumblers 23 and 25. This slight movement from the position shown in Fig. to the position shown in Fig. 6 is sufficient to free the corner 58 of the bolt from the notch 51 of the dislocating plate 46, thereby permitting the bolt to be oscillated by the cam surface d3 of the hasp for movement toward its closed position.

Until the bolt is freed in this manner it remains locked open in a position to prevent any instrument from being inserted through the hasp aperture for the dislocation of the tumblers.

As soon as the thrust of spring 41 on the plate 46 is taken up by the tumbler disks, the hasp is relieved thereof and moves under manual pressure toward the Fig. 6 position entirely freely so far as the spring 4"! is concerned, the only resistance being that required to oscillate the bolt 32.

Until the position of Fig. 6 is reached, the bolt is still holding the tumblers against rotation, al-

though the spring 41 acting through plate 46 and 1 the notched portions 56 of the tumblers is constantly acting on the tumblers in a direction to oscillate them counter-clockwise. As soon as the hasp passes the position of Fig. 6 in its inward movement the end 39 of the locking flange 3| of the bolt clears slots 31), thereby leaving the tumblers free to rotate under the torsion of spring t? as communicated through the dislocating plate 66 until the arm 55 re-engages the key 53 on the end of the hasp. The tumblers, in response to this sharp movement of plate 46, continue to rotate freely until stopped by friction. It will be noted that the arm 55 is preferably relieved or cut away above the level of the upper tumbler disk 23 so that this dislocating action preferably does not affect the driving tumbler disk 16. If it did so, the operation might be prevented by anyone holding the knob l5. However, the driving tumbler disk may be subjected to the same action if desired, by simplymaini taining the arm 55 full width for its entire height.

While the invention has been described with reference to its embodiment in a paddock, it will, of course, be understood by those skilled in the art that it is within my contemplation that the same features herein disclosed may be adapted for use in other types of locks in which some form of door latch, for example, may take the place of the hasp. Therefore, in the foregoing description and in the appended claims, it is my intention in referring to padlock structure to comprehend also the equivalent structure whereby the invention may be adapted for use in other types of locks.

I claim:

1. In a permutation lock, the combination with a lockable member movable between locked and unlocked positions, a locking member engageable with the first member in its locked position and a permutation disk provided with a notch registerable to receive the locking member for the release thereof from looking engagement with the lockable member, of a dislocating element connected to be actuated in one direction by the lockable member in the course of the movement thereof toward its unlocked position, spring means biasing said element for movement in the opposite direction and increased as to bias in the course of such movement, and means for interconnecting said dislocating element with said disk upon the predetermined advance of said element by movement of said lockable member, whereby to transmit to said disk the bias of said spring means for the dislocation of said disk upon release thereof by movement of the locking member from the notch of said disk.

2, The combination in a permutation lock having a mounting post and notched permutation disks rotatable thereon, of a reciprocable lockable member, a locking member adapted to be received into the notches of. said disks and provided with interlocking means engageable with said lockable member to restrict it against reciprocation ex cept when said locking member is retracted into said notches, a dislocating element provided with a mounting upon which it is oscillatory and reciprocable, spring means biasing said element for predetermined reciprocative and oscillatory movement, means carried by said lockable member engageable with said element for oscillation thereof in opposition to said spring means, said element having a portion riding upon said disks for camming reciprocation thereof in opposition to.

said spring means, at least one of said disks having a notched portion with which said element is engageable under the bias of said spring means upon reaching a predetermined position of oscillation, whereby said element is held by said disks during a return reciprocation of said lockable member and transmits the bias of said spring means to said disks for dislocation thereof upon release of said disks by said locking member.

3. In a padlock, the combination with a casing having a central mounting, notched permutation disks rotatable thereon, a hasp reciprocable to and from locked position in said casing, and a bolt oscillatory between a position of. interlocking engagement with the hasp and a retracted position of engagement in notches of said disks, of a dislccating element provided with a mounting upon which it is reciprocable in a direction generally radial respecting said disks and is oscillatory through a limited path which is approximately tangential with reference to said disks, spring means biasing said element for reciprocative movement toward said disks and for oscillatory movement in a direction to dislocate said disks rotatively, means carried by said element and by said hasp coacting to transmit oscillatory movement to said element upon the withdrawal of said hasp, said element being adapted to ride on the periphery of at least one of said disks in the course of such oscillatory movement, said last mentioned disk having a notch to receive said element after a predetermined extent of such oscillatory movement for the retention of said element and the transmission of. its bias to said last mentioned disk, whereby to dislocate at least said last mentioned disk when the returning reciprocation of said hasp andthe engagement of said bolt therewith frees said disk from the restraining action of said bolt.

4:. In a padlock, the combination with a casing and permutation lock mechanism therein including notched rotatable disks and means fixing said disks against rotation when said mechanism is unlocked, of a hasp reciprocable to and from locked position and engageable in locked position by said locking mechanism, said disk being free to rotate only when said hasp is so engaged, a dislocating element having a cam follower por tion engageable peripherally with at least one of said disks and engageable in the notch thereof, means biasing said element in a disk dislocating direction and in a direction to maintain contact with the disk, said element and, hasp including co-acting parts adapted to transmit to said element in opposition to said bias the motion of said hasp from its locked position, said hasp moving free of said element in its return movement toward its lockable position, whereby said element is left engaged in the notch of said disk to impart a dislocating motion thereto upon release of said disk by re-engagement of the locking mechanism with said hasp.

5. In a permutation padlock of the type provided with notched permutation disks, a bolt oscillatory between a first position of engagement in the notches of said disk and a second position in which said disks are free, a beep having a long leg and a short leg, the latter being provided with means with which said bolt is interlockingly engaged when free of said disks, and a casing in which said disks and bolt are mounted, said casing being provided with guide means in which the longer leg of the hasp is reciprocable and rotatable, the combination therewith of a dislocating plate, mounting means in the casing for said plate upon which the plate is both oscillatory and reciprocable, a spring engaging said plate and biasing it both for reciprocatory and oscillatory movement upon its mounting means, a cam follower element carried by said plate in a position to ride peripherally upon the disks under the reciprocative bias of said spring, means on the longer leg of said hasp engaging said cam follower element for the oscillation of said plate in opposition to the rotative bias of said spring, said disks being provlded with notches in which said cam. follower elemen is cngageable following a predetermined oscillation in the movement of said hasp toward its open position, and means engageable between the hasp and the mounting thereof in the oscillation of said hasp about its longer leg for holding said hasp in its open posit'lon against the bias of said spring, said hasp being adapted to move free of said cam follower means in its movement toward locking position after engagement of said cam follower means in the notches of said disks, whereby said cam follower means and plate transmit to said disks the oscillatory bias of said spring for the dislocating rotation of said disks upon release thereby said bolt in the movement of said bolt toward interlocking engagement with said hasp.

6. In a permutation lock of the type comprising a lockable member movable between open and shut positions, a locking member movable between an advanced position and a retracted position, and at least one permutation disk adapted to receive said locking member in its retracted position and to be restrained thereby against displacement, said locking member and said lockable member being formed for interlocking engagement'in the advanced position of the locking member and the closed position of the lockable member, the combination therewith of a latch movable between advanced and retracted positions, said latch and locking member being formed for interlocking engagement in the retracted position of the locking member and said latch being adapted in the course of such engagement to restrain said locking member against movement from its said retracted position, and means connecting the lockable member with the latch member for transmitting movement to the latch member in at least one direction for advancing it toward its position of interlocking engagement with the locking member.

'7. A permutation padlock comprising the combination with a case, a central mounting provided with a series of notched permutation disks, an oscillatable bolt having a portion receivable into the registering notches of the disks in a retracted position of oscillation of said bolt and adapted to clear said disks in an advanced position of oscillation of said bolt, a hasp having a portion lockingly engaged by said bolt in the advanced position thereof, said hasp portion being retractible from said case and said hasp having an arm permanently disposed within the case, means within the case in which said arm is reciprocable, a mounting means within said casing opposite said arm, a dislozcating element provided with a loose mounting on said means about which said element is both oscillatory and reciprocatory, spring means biasing said element for oscillatory and reciprocative movement in predetermined disk dislocating directions, means on said hasp engageable with said element for the oscillation thereof in opposition to said spring, said element being biased by said spring to maintain peripheral contact with said disks in the course of such movement, and at least one of said disks being notched to receive and hold said element upon the conclusion of said movement, said element and bolt being provided with means interlockable on the conclusion of such movement of said element to restrain said :bolt against displacement from its retracted position in engagement with said disks, such engagement being releasable upon the initial return movement of said hasp, and the advance of said bolt toward hasp-locking position leaving said tumblers sub ject to the bias'of said spring means as transmitted thereto through said element until the final release of said disks by said bolt frees said disks for dislocation by thespring impelled movement of said element.

8. In a permutation lock, the combination with a mounting plate, of a post centrally carried thereby, hasp guiding means at one side of said post, a pin carried by said mounting plate at the other side of said post, disk tumblers mounted to turn upon said post and provided with a plurality of registerable notch portions, certain of the notches of said disk tumblers being deep to receive a locking bolt and others of said notches being shallow, a locking bolt pivotally mounted on said mounting plate to oscillate between advanced and retracted positions, said bolt having means adapted in the retracted position of the bolt to enter the deeper notches of the turnblers and being provided with means adapted in the advanced position of the belt for interlocking engagement with a hasp, a hasp having a longer leg reciprocable and rotatable in the mounting on said plate and having a shorter leg with which said bolt means is interlockingly engaged, the shorter leg of said hasp and the bolt also having motion. transmitting connections for oscillating the bolt toward its advanced hasplocking position in the inward movement of the hasp, a projection on the longer leg of the hasp, said hasp-guiding means having a notch adapted to pass said projection when said hasp is rotated to register said projection with the notch in a position such that the shorter leg of the hasp may be locked by said belt, a dislocating plate provided with a slotted mounting on said pin for reciprocating and oscillatory movement, a single spring biasing said dislocating plate both for reciprocating and oscillatory movement, said plate including a dislocating element engageable in the shallower notches of said tumblers in a predetermined advanced position of said dislocating plate, means carried by the longer arm of the hasp engageable with said element for the movement thereof in opposition to the bias of said spring toward a position of en agement in the narrower notches of said tumblers, said notches being of suificient extent to permit the lug of said hasp to move through the notch of said guide means to an extreme position of said dislocating plate, said dislocating plate and bolt having means interlocking in the extreme posi tion of the plate to prevent displacement of the bolt from its retracted position in the deeper notches of said tumblers and releasable to permit bolt movement from said deeper notches when the projection from said hasp has passed into the notch of said guide means permitting the partial retraction of said dislocating plate to the extent permitted by the shallow notches of said isks, the continued movement of the toward its lockable position leaving said dislocating plate engaged with said disks to transmit thereto the bias of said spring subject only to the restraint of the continued engagement of the bolt in the deeper notches of said tumblers whereby, upon the final movement of the bolt toward locking engagement with the hasp, said tumblers are released and dislocated by motion transmitted thereto through said plate from said spring.

9. In a padlock, the combination with a casing and a hasp-guiding mounting therein, of a hasp movable between locked and unlocked positions, a bolt interlockingly engageable with the been in the locked position thereof and retractible from such engagement in release of the hasp, tumbler means hav ng notched portions registerable to receive said bolt to permit of the retraction thereof, said tumbler means having other peripheral portions engageable with said bolt to maintain it in said locking engagement With the hasp tumbler, dislocating means biased. for movement in a tumbler dislocating direction, and mechanism for transmitting the movement of the hasp from its locked position toward its unlocked position to said dislocaling means for increasing the bias thereof and for transferring the pressure of said dislocating means from said hasp to said tumblers, said tumblers and dislocating means having interengagea-ble portions whereby the bias of said dislocating means is sustained by said tumblersfor the dislocating of said tumblers upon the release of said bolt from the notches thereof.

10. In a padlock, the combination with a hasp movable between locked and unlocked positions, a bolt interlockingly engaged with the hasp in the locked position thereof and retractible for the release of the hasp, tiunblers having portions engaged with said bolt to resist the retraction thereof and having portions registerable to receive said bolt to permit the retraction thereof, a tumbler dislocating constantly subject to bias in a tumbler dislocating direction, mechanism for storing energy in said tumbler dislocating means during the outward movement of the hasp from its locked to its unlocked position, said tumbler dislocating means and said tumblers having interengageable portions operatively adapted for connection following at least a portion of the outward movement of the hasp whereby the b as thereof is sustained by the tumblers pending the release of the tumblers by the bolt, said hasp being free of said dislocating means in the return movement of the neon toward locked position.

11. In a lock, the combination with a hasp movable between locked and unlocked positions and a bolt interlockingly engaged with the hasp in the locked position thereof and retraotible for the release of the hasp, oi permutation mechanism including tumblers having registerable portions notched to receive the bolt in the retracted position thereof, a tumbler dislocating means including a part engageable with the respective tumblers for the isplacement thereof, and mechanism operatively connected to receive motion from the hasp in the course of the movement of the hasp toward its unlocked position and subject to bias increased by suohrnotion for storing energy for the dislocation of said tumblers upon the release thereof by said bolt.

12. In a lock, the combination with permutation mechanism including at least one tumbler having a peripheral notch and means for the positioning of the notched portion of said tumbler in a bolt receiving location, of a bolt movable between advanced and retracted position, said bolt being so mounted that in its retracted position it has a portion entering the notch of said tumbler, means interlockingly engaged by the bolt and withdrawable when the bolt is in its retracted position, a tumbler dislocating device, said device and said tumbler having interlocking portions for the transmission of motion from said device to said trunbler, said device having a bias in the direction of desired tumbler dislocation and being operatively positioned to receive motion from said withdrawable means in the course of the withdrawing movement thereof in a direction to increase the bias to which said device is subject and to engage said device releasably with the tumbler for the dislocation thereof subject to said bias when said bolt is moved from the tumbler notch.

ROBERT K. WINNING. 

